Praedicator

Verba

Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

[1 John 2:18-21 and John 1:1-8]

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. [John]

Those familiar with the world of Broadway musical theater or opera are familiar with the music called the "overture" which precedes the opening of the curtain. Generally, the overture will display some of the major musical "themes" or "leit-motifs" that will be associated with various actions or characters in the musical or opera. Over the past few days we have seen how the "infancy narratives" of the gospels of Luke and Matthew were composed as "mini-gospels" which hint at the subsequent life and ministry of Jesus. Some of these have become the subject of an opera, such as AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS by Menotti. However, the "prologue" to the Gospel of John comes closer to the description. It is a majestic and poetic statement of the whole focus of that gospel, and is summed up in the line quoted above.
The Gospel of John was put into writing much later than the other three, which means that the Christian community had been reflecting longer on the meaning of Jesus' life and resurrection. Since we are still in the season of Christmas/Epiphany, it is Jesus' birth and its meaning that command our attention and faith. God has become a human person in our midst! Davidic descent and fulfillment of prophecies are not the concern here, but human identity. In the first "preface" for Christmas Eucharist, we find the words, "In the wonder of the incarnation your eternal Word has brought to the eyes of faith a new and radiant vision of your glory. In him we see our God made visible and so are caught up in love of the God we cannot see." I hope that we can all spend a few moments and read the gospel for today with those eyes of faith! AMEN